
l'~^ 



Book : 






OBSERVATIONS 



ON 



AND ITS 



CULTIVATION. 



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PRINTED BY WILLIAM F. GEDDES, 

No. 112 Chesnut Street. 

1840. 






THE SUGAR BEET, 






The motive for publishing the following paper, is to draw the atten- 
tion of the agricultural community to the importance, and the utility of 
adding the cultivation of Beets to the other resources of the farmer. 
And in furtherance of this object, the editors of newspapers and peri- 
odicals, are invited to place in the columns of their papers, as much of 
this essay as they think may be useful to their readers. 



^ff^ 



/6" 



ON 
THE CULTIVATION 

OF 

BEET. 

The value and importance of the Sugar Beet as an addition to the 
agricultural productions of the farm, and an increase to the resources of 
the nation is but commencing to develop itself. Wherever it has been 
tried, as food for cattle, it has given satisfaction. 

So late as the year 1836, the Sugar Beet was first introduced into the 
United States, by a society in Philadelphia, whose object was to ascer- 
tain its value as a source from which sugar could be advantageously pro- 
cured ; and in pursuance of this object, that society sent an agent to 
Europe to observe and report the success that had attended the efforts of 
the French chemists and manufacturers ; this led to the introduction of 
the seed. It is not the purpose of this paper to enter upon t!ie sugar 
business ; it is sufficient to observe that it has been so very successful in 
France, that it threatened to supersede the use of foreign sugar, and those 
merchants who were engaged in its importation, and interested in the su- 
gar colonies, foreseeing the loss of what was their most important branch 
of business, applied to the French government for protection, and the 
consequence has been, that sugar made from beets in France has been 
subjected to an excise duty. It is possible, that the French government 
was apprehensive that the profits arising from making sugar from beets, 
might induce an undue proportion of land to be withdrawn from the pro- 
duction of grain, and employed in raising beets ; and likewise the fear of 
lessening the commercial marine, influenced the imposing of this excise 
duty, and it gave to the mercantile and colonial interests, the protection 
they petitioned for. 

The society referred to, had no intention of becoming a manufacturing 
one ; the object being simply to ascertain and publish all the facts that 
could be procured relating to this new process of making sugar, import 
and disseminate some of the seeds, and the information that had been 
procured; when these objects were accomplished, the members paid the 
expenses and closed the concern. Up to this time there has been no 



-manufactory for making Beet Sugar established in the United States. — 
Several trials have been made on an experimental scale; — the result of 
these, went to contirm the practicability of what was stated to have been 
done in Europe, to wit : the crystallizing the saccharine matter of the 
beet. 

The discoveries in modern chemistry, having shown, that saccharine 
or the element of sweetness, is the basis of sugar, wine, vinegar, honey, 
&c. and as this element exists in beets and in grapes, it has led to the pre- 
sumption, that wine may be made from beets, as vv^ell as from grapes ; 
and in a letter from Pari?, of date so late as October 16th, we find an in- 
telligent gentleman, and a friend to the United States, writes to the fol- 
lowing effect : 

" Bv-the-bye, you must know that our public papers have been of late 
full of another discovery, and that is beet wine. What do you think of 
that my friend? Sugar being the principle, without which no vinous, 
fermented or distilled alcoholic liquor can be made, and the beet contain- 
ing more saccharine matter than even the grape, why should the sweet 
beet not be used to make wine, if it can be divested of its empy- 
reumatic oil and flavour, as it is in making sugar? The beet wine 
fever is now raging in France, as the morus multicaulis rages in the Uni- 
ted States. Of its success in this grape-growing, wine-making country, 
I shall, as it develops, keep you advised." 

The cultivation of this plant being new and interesting to the farmers 
of the United States, it may be useful to lay before them a few observa- 
tions on the subject, for which we are mainly indebted to the gentleman 
to whom we have already referred ; and what is said must be received as 
general principles ; the practice that will suit in Maine will not answer 
in Georgia, and yet the beet is a plant that will thrive throughout tlie 
whole extent of the United States ; and as a food for cattle Avill prove ibr 
this country all that the turnip is for the moist and humid climate of 
Great Britain. 

Cultivation of Beet. 

The beet is a biennial plant, growing to seed the second year, its seed- 
stalk rises to the height of from three to five feet. It is from the root, 
and in the first year of its growth that the sugar is extracted. As yet 
the process of extracting sugar from beets has not been made sufficiently 
perfect to obtain the whole saccharine matter as in the case of the sugar 
cane, therefore theresidue forms excellent food for cattle. 



Choice of Ground. 

Beet thrives in the soil suited to the potato, to wit : in all soils that 
are somewhat sandy and loamy — these soils mixed with vegetable mould 
and decayed matter are particularly suitable. From land essentially 
sandy, much cannot be expected, unless it be highly manured ; under 
these circumstances we have seen a good crop growing in New Jersey. 
In the absence of manure the roots will be small, but where they grow 
fresh and healthy, it has been found that small plants yield a large pro- 
portion of sugar — but this by no means makes up for the want of mass, 
and therefore with this as with other crops — it is proper to use land 
naturally or artificially good, to insure large returns. Clay may be added 
to sandy soil, and sand mixed with clay ground, to correct their defects, 
but the process is expensive. 

Where land is essentially stiff clay, it is not suitable for beets, because 
the seed germinates badly and the root finding it difficult to penetrate and 
imbed itself, becomes forked and rises too much above the surface, where- 
by it is too much exposed to the sun and atmosphere, which dispose it to 
become hard and reedy. One of the evils attending forked roots is, that 
stones, gravel, and earth get enveloped in the interstices, and thus blunt 
and injure the machine that is employed to reduce the roots to pulp, 
when the object is to make sugar. Clay soils are improved by deep and 
frequent ploughing and harrovv^ing ; the manures best suited to this kind 
of ground, are half rotted straw, fresh stable dung, leaves, &c. and sand 
can be employed to advantage, where it can be had with little labour, 
the quantity required to produce useful effects has to be very considera- 
ble. In France calcareous soils are not considered suited for growing 
beets. In America we may mistake Avhat the French refer to, when on 
this occasion they use the term " calcareous ;" possibly it may be by 
them applied to chalk soil, a kind of land we have none of, and not re- 
fer to the limestone land that abounds here, and is justly held in high 
estimation, as it answers well for all crops. The farmers of America 
must not be deterred from tr3'-ing to cultivate beets on limestone land, be- 
cause it is said of other countries, calcareous soils are not suited for 
growing that root ; in this, as in many other cases, we must determine 
the fact by our own experience. Here, on limestone land, the beet may 
suffer from drought, but all crops grown upon it are exposed to the same 
effects. In France, the products on different soils vary very much, and 
are greatly influenced by better or worse manacfement, the difference 
rating from fifty to two hundred. 



Preparation of the Ground. 

This will vary according to the nature of the soil, and here, as in all 
other departments of the farming business, much of the success depends 
on the skill and judgment of the farmer. In many cases three plough- 
ings will be necessary, and one of these ploughings should be before 
winter, that the turned up soil may be mellowed by the frost, the last 
ploughing has to be in the spring immediately before planting the seed ; 
two ploughings in this country will be found sufficient ; in all cases it 
should be well harrowed, and rolling will be an improvement that am- 
ply repays the expense. Deep ploughing is generally useful, but the 
farmer has to consider the nature of the substrata. It would be improper 
to turn up much of the poor clay or gravel bottom, and where the sub- 
strata is an open sand, deep ploughing is not required. Manure in Avhich 
the process of fermentation has not advanced far, will answer best for 
beets, nevertheless all kinds are useful ; but the half rotten best divides 
the soil and suffers the roots freely to expand. In the state of Delaware, 
marl has been found an excellent manure for beets, and marl is found in 
many places in the low light soils on the Atlantic coast south of Sandy Hook. 
Some farmers in France allow the beet leaves that are cut off at harvest-time 
to remain on the land, and consider them a tolerably good manure, but this 
practice is not so good as having them carted into the barn yard to be 
eaten and trodden on by the cattle. It will be found that straw of any 
kind when properly laid into the furrows and covered with the mould, 
will give good crops ; and this open species of manure is suited to clay 
soils and the beet root. The roller is especially necessary on clay soils ; 
by it clods are well broken, which favours the coming up of the plants, 
and facilitates the future hoeings and horse-hoe weeding. 

0/ Sowing. 

There are four ways of sowing beets, first in beds as in a nursery ; 
second, broad cast as in sowing wheat ; third, sowing or dropping by 
the hand in drills ; and fourth, drilling by a machine. 

By the first of these methods the whole of the seed is sown on a small 
portion of land compared with what it is intended to occupy ; these plants 
will be fit to pull up and plant out where they are finally to remain, in a 
month or six weeks from the time of sowing ; this planting is performed 
by means of a dibble with which holes are made in the ground, always 
a little deeper than the length of the plant tliat is to be put into them, and 
with this dibble the earth must l)e carefully pressed close to the root. — 



This method is attended with several inconveniences ; it requires much 
manual labour, the roots are exposed to injury during the process of 
transplanting, and if the root is bent in the planting the beet will form 
badly, and in place of having the shape of a cone will be deformed and 
unthrifty with numerous roots filled with earth, which will be detrimental 
to the crop, whether used for feeding cattle or employed to make sugar. 
This mode of sowing should be thought of only where seed is scarce, 
the quantity to be sown not great, and labour easily procured. 

Broad cast. This manner is the simplest, but requires a large quan- 
tity of seed, and will be expensive where that is dear, and seed in the 
European market, has on some occasions been five times dearer than on 
others. In this practice it will be found that six pounds of seed will be 
required, Avhere two and a half or three would have been enough when 
planted in drills by the hand. The whole of the soil in the broad cast 
sowing is occupied, but it is difficult and expensive to hoe the crop, and 
keep it free of weeds, and the produce is never as great as by the follow- 
ing method : 

Rows or drills. The little furrows into which the seeds are to be 
dropped are made by a harrow, having the teeth at the distance one from 
another that the rows of beets are intended to be from each other and the 
seed is dropped two or three into the drills at the distance of twelve to 
eighteen inches apart from each other. This work can be performed by 
young people ; in France it is most frequently done by women, as more de- 
pendence can be placed in them than in boys. After the planting is finished, 
the seeds are covered by having a light harrow with plenty of teeth in it 
drawn over the ground. In this way there is a great saving of seed and 
the plants are regularly spaced. Four women will plant an acre in a day. 
By using a drill drawn by a horse, the labour is very much abridged and 
the work will be expedited. This machine is very important to those 
who plant large fields ; in the large sugar-making districts it is used with 
great success, it is of various forms and merits, the plans have not yet 
been brought to this country. Some French farmers place the rows 
twenty-four inches apart, perhaps thirty will be found a more convenient 
distance for the horse-hoe, cultivator, or harrow. In fixing the distance 
that is to be between the rows, reference should be had to the kind of 
horse-hoe that is to be used in keeping the crops free from weeds. The 
distance in the row may be from twelve to eighteen inches. When the 
plants are far from each other the roots Avill grow to a large size, and the 
contrary will result from planting them close. By careful observation far- 
mers have to learn the distance that will produce the largest quantity, and 



best quality of roots on their respective soils. The seed should be planted 
at the depth of from one to two inches. Experience has proved, that at 
a greater depth especially on heavy soils, it is not sufficiently exposed to 
the action of the air, sun, and moisture ; M^ithout which it will not germi- 
nate well. 

Time of Sowirig. 

This depends on the position of the place and nature of the soil; as a 
general rule, the earlier the better : Provided, the land is dry and in 
proper order, early sowing is particulai-ly important when the object is 
to make sugar, because the roots arrive sooner at maturity and allow the 
process of crushing to commence early. In France it has been found 
that in September and October the greatest quantity of sugar can be ex- 
tracted from the roots. In the United States, the nature of the fall season, 
is very suitable for making sugar. The season for working here will 
be longer than it is in France, this will favour to the manufacture here 
when it becomes a business. In Pennsylvania, beet sown so late as the 
first ten days of June came to perfection, but late sowing, exposes the 
youngjplants to be injured by the drouglit of that season, and the heat of 
the sun ; we have heard of an instance where by accident some beet seed 
had been dropped in the fall and remained in the ground, all winter and 
in spring vegetated well, and yielded a good crop. This accident suggests 
the trying how far it would answer to sow a part of the crop in fall, so as 
to have an early crop, and what the result would be of having from this 
early sowing, the ground well covered with leaves before the summer's 
hot sun comes on. If fall sowing shall be found to answer, it would be 
of advantage to the farmer, by allowing him to have a part of the spring 
work done in a season in which he is not much hurried. This fall 
sowing should not be performed until late in the season, when all proba- 
bility of warm weather has passed away, so that there might not be 
heat to germinate the seed before the cold and frost set in. 

Of Hoeing. 

Few plants sufler more than the beet from neglect, and the baneful in- 
fluence of weeds in the first stages of its vegetation. The ground there- 
fore has to be kept free of weeds, and it should be kept mellow during 
the first stages of the plants development. Beets require one or two 
hand thinnings, and as many hand hoeings. The first of the hoeings 
should be about when four or five of the leaves have put out, the second 



in from three to five weeks afterwards. Here it is proper to remark, 
that each of t!ic burs that are planted is a chister containing sometimes 
as many as four seeds; this is to be perceived by breaking one of these 
burs, in it will be found several small grains of while flour, and each 
gives out a separate plant. Mice are fond of this flour and will destroy 
the seed if they can get at it, all the plants save one must be pulled up at 
the time of hoeing, if not properly thinned there will be a chister of leaves 
but very small roots, where there are blanks, they should be filled up witii 
those pulled up from where there are loo many. After the rows have 
been carefully freed from weeds and properly thinned, the horse-hoe, 
cultivator or drdl harrow can be advantageously run between the rows. 
The horse-hoe, &;c. has to be some inches narrower than the distance 
from row to row, and after each horse-hoeing, a person should go along 
the rows with a hand hoe, and remove the earth from such plants as may 
have had it thrown on them by the harrow, &(;. If any of the beets 
should show a disposition to shootout into the seed stalk, this must be 
stopped by cutting off these stalks, because this growth Avould be at the 
expense of ihe root. Some persons pull off a portion of the leaves to 
feed their cattle, the leaves also make excellent greens for the table, it is 
probable that takeing these leaves is some detriment to the roots. 

Harvesting. 

The season for taking up the roots will vary with circumstances and 
localities, early and late sowing, &c. &c. In France beets ripen and the 
making of sugar commences about the end of September or beginning of 
October, and the evidences of the plant being ripe are the falling down 
of the leaves, and those of a bright green, turning yellow and brown. — 
The influence of drought may bring on these appearances; the observing 
farmer will understand when this change is caused by heat, or want of 
moisture, indeed he has to attend to the weather, and the appearance of 
the approach of winter that he may take advantage of all the growing 
season, and at the same time not be too late in harvesting, and thereby 
expose the crop to be injured by frost. The roots should be pulled by 
hand or assisted by the spade when necessary, and the person that pulls 
them must shake the earth oflT them, and be careful not to strike one 
against another or in any way bruise them; bruising has the same eflect 
on beets that it has on apples, in both cases it disposes them to rot. The 
person who pulls the beets should cut off the tops with a knife, being 
careful not to cut the beet. The leaves being cut off lessens the dis- 



10 

position of" the root to vegetate, and it prepares them to be housed.— 
The beets should lay on the ground until they are dry before they are 
housed. 

Preservation. 

The roots must not be left long on the ground exposed to air, heat and 
moisture; much heat or cold are both found detrimental, as a heat of 
fifiy-tix to sixty degrees Fahrenlieit in damp weather, •will produce a 
fermentation sufficient to reduce the quantity of saccharine matter, and 
on the other hand, beets freeze very readily, so that only a few degrees 
below thirty-two will dispose them to rot. 

The best aired cellar is not better for securing the beet than a judi- 
ciously made pit, wherein the beets are stored and covered with the earth 
that was dug from the pit. The dimension of pits may be varied to suit 
circumstances. It is most prudent not to make them large, because if 
from any cause a part of the contents of a pit begins to spoil, the disea'^e 
is contagious and will spread through the whole mass. They may be 
made from four to five feet wide and eight, ten, or twelve long. One to 
two feet is deep enough, this hole is to be filled with beets, and piled up 
until they form a ridge, and the whole is to be covered with the earth 
dug from the pit, a drain should be cut round the heap, to carry oft' all 
water, it being of importance, that the beet be kept dry, and for this rea- 
son, ground naturally dry should be selected for the pits — pe.haps in our 
severe climate it may be necessary to spread a little straw or corn stalks 
on the outside of the heaps, to keep out the frost ; if put inside it might rot 
and spoil the beets, and it may be useful to open the pits from time to 
time to air and keep them fresh, and if any are observed to spoil, they 
should be carefully taken out. The preserving of beets is the most diffi- 
cult of all the branches connected with them. 

Growing nf the Seed. 

As the beet is a biennial plant it is only in the second year that it pro- 
duces seed. The proper time for choosing the roots from which the seed 
is to be produced next year is when taking up the crop ; these should be 
healthy, somewhat above the medium size in length and thickness ; well 
formed and no ways forked, and of a fine light colour ; (if for sugar per- 
fectly white,) they should be kept through winter in sand or dry earth, 
and placed in a temperate barn or cellar equally guarded from the influ- 



11 

ence of heat and cold. In the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, they shonld 
be planted out iu March or so soon as the land is in good order, and at 
the distance of two or three feet apart, this will be snHicient space for 
yielding the roots and leaves the requsite nourishment; the stalks will 
rise iVom three to five feet, and the branches being liable to split off, 
and break down, have to be supported by sticks or frames. When the 
seed is ripe, which will generally be in September, the stalks are to be 
cut off, tied into bundles, and hung up, or laid over fences to dry — and 
then the seed is beaten off by switching the sheaves over a board set on 
its edge, or it may be threshed. In France the seed is removed from the 
stems by hand, taking care to leave tlie small seeds that grow towards 
the outer end of the branches, as these seeds do not ripen well in that 
climate, which is moister than that of the United States. — The next 
process is to expose the seed to the sun, and then it is put into sacks 
and kept in a dry place, where mice and vermin shall not have access 
to it. The average yield of plants in France is from four, to six ounces 
of good seed. The beet in this country has been found to produce very 
good seed — it will therefore be prudent and a saving for farmers to raise 
enough for their own wants. And for some time, in all probability, it 
will be a protitable branch of business to raise some for sale. 



General Rcmarls. 

The important uses to which the beet is now applied, having attracted 
great attention to its habits, it is found under some circumstances to de- 
generate ; the seed of the white plant producing yellow and red roots ; 
this tendency may be checked by changing the seed from clay to sandy, 
and from sandy to clay soils. Experience may show that changes 
from the North to the South, and from the South to the North, would 
be attended with good consequences. The seed, if carefully preserved 
from moisture, insects, and vermin, will keep for several years, but after 
four 5'ears, it will not be prudent to sow it. When the object is to 
make sugar, care should be taken to have seed that will produce white 
roots, and early sowing will afford the opportunity of commencing the 
crushing and boiling at an early period. French writers on the subject 
inform us, that the early bruisings produce the largest proportion of su- 
gar. Some of their remarks on soil, it is difficult for Americans to 
understand, as in this country we have no chalk soil. The routine 
of crops where the beet is cultivated is very varied. Some French 



£2 

farmers plant potatoes the first year, beets the second, and clover the 
third — and repeat. Now we do not understand how clover can be 
made to follow beets, or how it could grow when sown amongst them, 
as it would be destroyed by the process of working the crop — but they 
may have an annual clover we are not acquainted with. Others sow beets 
two 5-ears in succession, oats the third, clover the fourth, and repeat. 
And one man as mentioned, who has sown beets with success, for fif- 
teen years in succession on the same land ; his practice was to change 
the nature and kind of manure, and dressing put on the land. 

In this country, as yet, theie is nothing of strict system in the rota- 
tion of crops. The important articles, Indian corn, grown all over the 
United States, and tobacco and cotton, in particular districts, renders it 
necessary for us, to adopt a system suited to our circumstances and re- 
sources ; our farmers have to exercise their own judgment, and select 
practices suited to their particular positions. 

In most instances, the beet crop will not be got off the land early enough 
to he followed by Avheat, and late sown wheat in general is not a safe 
crop. Wheat is found to yield more grain with a less show of straw 
in those cases where manure is not directly applied to it, but to a pre- 
vious crop. \Vhere manure is immediately applied to wheat, it is more 
liable to mildew than where it h:s been used to a preceding crop. 

When the beet is employed in feeding cattle, one of the effects will 
be, to produce more and rirJur manure, and this will place in the 
farmer's power the entire command of his farm, — he can do with it 
Avhatever he pleases. Every encouragement is held out for the culture 
of beet. It being a green crop, draws much of its nourishment from 
the atmosphere, and in place of exhausting the land, leaves it in fine 
order, for any crop the farmer may choose to put on it. Beets in no 
way interfere v;iih the cultivation of wheat, clover, barley, Indian corn, 
potatoes, turnips, c^c. With the aid of a few beet, the profitable effects of 
that most useful grain, Indian corn, will be greatly increased in feeding 
cattle. Calves fed with beets or roots in their first winter, will general- 
ly be as good animals at the end of two years, as those that have been 
fed the first winter on dry food and corn, will be at the end of three years. 

The raising a portion of beet is interesting to every farmer, inasmuch 
as the seed required to commence will put him to little expense, and 
afterwards he can supply himself; the business of his farm is the same 
as if he had planted an extra acre of potatoes, and the effects on milk, 
butter, cheese, fattening pigs, &c. is immediate. But on this crop, as 
in most new things, people will entertain different opinions ; the merits 



13 

of the question may be safely left to the decision of SELF INTEltES'I', 
in a country where the people are fond of beef, butter, good meat and 
profit. The object of this paper is simply to furnish some information 
on the subject. 

Although the intention of this paper is to call the attention of farmers, 
to the raising of Beets, wiih a view to the improvemen of their stock 
of cattle, their land, and tlieir circumstances, it will not be out of place 
to draw their attention to another branch of the business of agriculture, 
that proves profitable to tiie husbandmen of other countries, and which 
is here more and more assuming an inviting appearance. 

The best spennnceti oil, burnt in lamps, is now selling in Philadel- 
phia at one dollar and fifty cents a gallon. The practice of using ril for 
lighting our houses, and its price, have for years been on the advance, 
and in consequence of the great number of whaling ships, the number 
of fish must be decreasing, and those that escape the fishermen, be- 
come more wary and shy. If oil, in consequence of these growing 
causes, is so high in the seaboard towns, it will be higher in those of the 
interior, in proportion to the expense and hazard incident to transporta- 
tion, therefore the farmer in these districts, has so much more induce- 
ment to raise the plants from which oil is made. 

Most earncsUy we recommend to farmers and planters, the growing 
of Rape, which is a species of cabbage, or rather of greens, as it does 
not head. The French call it Colza — and it is from the seed of this 
plant, that great quantities of oil is made by the French and the Eng- 
lish ; and the former make from poppy seed, abundance of table oil, so 
good in quality that it answers all the purposes of olive oil, and is much 
cheaper. 

Those who are acquainted with the cultivation of these plants, (the 
Rape and Poppy,) harvesting the seed, and making the oil, could con- 
fer great service on the country by publishing the processes, or such of 
them as they are acquainted with ; and there is every reason to presume, 
the Publishers of the" Farmer's Cabinet" published in Philadelphia, 
the " Cultivator" at Albany, the " American Farmer" at Baltimore, and 
the " Farmer's Register" at Petersburgh, &;e. &c., would g ve the com- 
munications a place in the columns of their very useful periodicals. 

It is with farmers, as with manufacturers, merchants, and tradesmen 
of all descriptions; all are exposed to the fluctuations constantly operat- 
ing on trade and commerce, influencing prices, supply, and consump- 
tion ; and every one should observe the improvements that are made in 
the arts and sciences that relate to his particular business. For it is not 



14 

to be disputed, that all other things being equal, those who are best in- 
formed, with the same extent of industry, are to be most successful : And 
while the manufacturer is diversifying his productions, and lessening 
the quantity of labour required to make them, the merchant is perform- 
ing voyages in twenty-eight days, that formerly employed three months, 
and letters pass between New York and Liverpool with nearly the regu- 
larity of a well conducted mail coach, and go wilh greater speed. The 
farmer must exert himself also, or be laid under contribution to the more 
active ; while he is neglecting to study the nature and qualities of soils, 
manures, the kind of grain, plants, and cattle best suited to his circum- 
stances, the most effective manner of employing labour — and economiz- 
ing time and every thing about him. The manufacturer is calling to his 
aid a stream of water, or steam engine, and with one or other of these 
agents, and the assistance of a fev/ women or children, is converting 
bales of low priced raw cotton into cosdy cloths; or by employing a 
few sturdy men, iron ore into cart Avheel tres, ploughs, needles, &c. 
&c., a few pounds of which will pay for the bale of cotton, barrel of 
wh<^at, or barrel of pork — nay, there are cases in which this will be 
done by a few ounces. 

It is somewhat remarkable that there are few distinguished and cele- 
brated farmers or planters, in comparison with tradesmen, engineers, 
and manufacturers. The truth is, the profession of husbandry, although 
it can be carried on in some way or other by most men, is one of the 
most intricate and diversified ; influenced by causes, the laws of which 
are hardly known — for example of vegetation, the manner in which 
manure acts, the operation of lime, gypsum, &c. and the nature of soils, 
the 'grains and plants most suitable for soils and circumstances of the 
farmer, the seasons, the weather, the habits of plants, the nature, effects, 
and habits of insects, the grains, grasses, fruit trees, the adroit skill to 
secure the proper moment for sowing, harvesting, ploughing, and the 
innumerable operations and occurrences of a farm, influenced as they 
are by the vicissitudes of weather, and the talents to understand all that 
relates to these conslandy operating causes, with the power to make the 
most of them, are more rarely concentrated in one person, than the 
knowledge and capacity to be eminent in the other professions— this, 
and the defused position of farmers, form some of the causes to which 
may be ascribed the circumstance of there being few pre-eminent farmers. 

But it is evident that this all-important business has now entered upon 
a new epoch, and which is manifesting itself in more attention to the 
selecting of good seed, new articles of culture, whereby the rigours of 



15 

winter are equalized with the food of summer — better breeds of cattle, 
and above all, by the number and excellence of the treatises and peri- 
odicals that are published in this country, and Great Britain, and to 
which every farmer should attend, and be especially careful to see that 
his sons read and reflect on the subjects they treat on. 

J. R. 
Philadelphia, Janvary 1, 1840. 



KOTE. 

When the preceding observations on the Beet were put to press, it 
was presumed that only a few copies would supply the demand. It has 
turned out otherwise, and some more are wanted. This has afforded 
the opportunity of adding the following facts that have but lately come 
to our knowledge. 

On the authority of a gentleman interested in the growing of sugar- 
cane in Louisiana, we state, that a crop of Sugar Beets is found to be 
superior to all other crops as a refresher and renovater of tlie land after 
the fourth crop, that is the fourth year of sugar-cane, as in Louisiana 
one planting lasts for that time, viz. four years. If this is found to an- 
swer in general practice, it will give to the planting of the Beet a greater 
importance than its most sanguine friends calculated on : and if it proves 
suitable for making sugar from in the cane latitude, the making of sugar 
will assume an entirely new character ; and in Louisiana, the boiling 
season will commence with the beet, and close with the cane, whereby 
the same capital that is invested in the works, machinery. Sic. Sic. con- 
nected with the boiling house, will prove a great saving on this portion 
of the planter's capital. 

In some countries rape seed is sown and cultivated for fall pasture, 
on which sheep and all the horned catde, except the milk cows, are fed. 
This plant, like all of the cabbage class, gives to milk and butter a disa- 
greeable taste, and this is the reason why the milk cows are not fed with 
the rape seed plant. In consequence of the mild and fine weather during 
the fall season in the United Slates, it is reasonable to suppose that this 
practice would answer very well here. 

March 25, 1840. 



SUGAR BEET SEED 



SJLLH, 



At ]¥o, 200 SoMth IVinth Street, 

PHILADELPHIA. 



Ill the feeding Cattle, Milk Cows, and stock of all kinds, every 
Farmer who has tried the Sugar Beet, knows that it is equal to 
any, and superior to most of the feeds that are used for keeping 
and fatening cattle. Its culture is attended with little expense, and 
in our dry climate is more certain of making a good crop than any 
other of the r xits grown for the purpose of feeding stock. 

The seed offered for sale, has been tried since its arrival,* and is 
found to vegetate well; it is of the crop of 183.^, and imported from 
France merely to diffuse its cultivation as soon and extensively through- 
out thecountry as possible. The low price and the trouble that is taken 
to sell it in small quantities, wdl show that profit has not been the mo- 
tive for engaging in this business. 

Every prudent farmer who desires to have his stock kept in good order, 
and at little expense, should plant an acre or two of Sugar Beet; so far 
as seed is concerned the expense will be one and a half dollars the acre. 
Along with (he Sugar Beet, a small parcel of Mangel Worzel has been 
imported and is for sale at the same place. The Beet and Mangel Wor- 
zel will be sold at fifty cents a pound in quanliiies of ten or more 
pounds, and at somewhat higher price in smaller quantities. 

JAMES RONALDSON, 

No. 200 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia. 
January 1, 1840. 

* Two flower-pots were employed; 20 burrs plinted in each; and 19 in each pot 
sprouted, proJucing from one to four plants each ; this is a failure of only 5 per cent, 
as respects each burr. 






